"Chicago Homes" Book Launch

Co-authors Carla Bruni and Phil Thompson will share entertaining and illuminating stories of why our homes and neighborhoods look the way they do during the celebration of their book launch. This beautifully illustrated book is for Chicagoans and visitors alike, anyone who’s ever wondered how to spot a Foursquare, or where to find pre-Fire Italianate homes, or how two World's Fairs revolutionized the way Chicagoans live. It chronicles the emergence of vernacular styles from the mid-1800s through the Second World War. Combining their decades of experience in historic preservation and illustration, Bruni and Thompson have created an evergreen resource for those with an interest in Chicago history and architecture.

Ticket holders are invited to enjoy light bites and refreshments from 5-6 p.m. outside the Lecture Hall. The program begins at 6 p.m. Following the talk, the authors will sign copies of their book, available for purchase at the CAC Design Store in person or online.

Keynote speaker

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Speakers:

Carla Bruni has spent close to twenty years preserving, studying, and writing about historic architecture across dozens of U.S. cities and four continents. She teaches graduate students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she holds a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation. Carla has been a recurring guest discussing architecture and environmental issues on WGN and WLS Radio, and her work has been featured in various outlets, including StoryCorps Chicago, Newcity, NBC Nightly News, PRX, NPR, the Chicago Reader, Chicago magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post. Carla also works to support the Chicago Bungalow Association, overseeing energy efficiency work, creating history and home maintenance resources, and leading the charge to list thousands of vintage homes in the National Register of Historic Places. Her professional work and involvement in community repair and revitalization has taken her to every corner of Chicago, her native city, where she currently resides with Mr. Nancy, her above-average cat.
Phil Thompson is the co-founder and illustrator behind WonderCity Studio (wondercitystudio.com), a company dedicated to cre-ating artwork of the places worth preserving, with a special love for Chicago. For ten years, Phil has captured over a thousand homes and buildings with his pen-and-ink illustrations and sold prints of his artwork celebrating history and architecture to customers all over the world. His work has been featured in dozens of media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicagoist, Curbed, Business Insider, and Chicago magazine. Clients have included University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the Chicago Architecture Center, among others. He and his wife, Katie, who creates ceramics of Chicago architecture, love to walk city streets admiring architecture with their dog, Vincent.